Average Traffic Speed in London

Tony Devenish: Broken down by borough, what has been the average traffic speed in London for every month since January this year?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) can provide the average traffic speed by period for the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) but not on borough roads. Please find below the average 7am-7pm weekday (Mon-Fri, excluding bank holidays) traffic speed on TLRN roads for P11 2019/20 - P7 2020/21. Note these are given by financial period not month. Each period covers four weeks, with the dates given below.
Period
Date Range
Average 7am-7pm traffic speed (mph)
P11 19/20
5th Jan – 1st Feb
18.0
P12 19/20
2nd Feb – 29th Feb
17.3
P13 19/20
1st Mar – 31st Mar
19.4
P1 20/21
1st Apr – 2nd May
23.7
P2 20/21
3rd May – 30th May
22.0
P3 20/21
31st May – 27th Jun
19.9
P4 20/21
28th Jun – 25th Jul
18.8
P5 20/21
26th Jul – 22nd Aug
18.7
P6 20/21
23rd Aug – 19th Sep
17.6
P7 20/21
20th Sep – 17th Oct
17.2
TfL is unable to provide Borough level average traffic speeds for this year based on its current datasets as the latest version it holds is for December 2019. TfL is in the process of procuring access to more granular data which would allow it to provide such information periodically, but this will not be available until the end of this year/beginning of next. This data will roll back to the beginning of 2020 when available.

Harwood Terrace No Entry Sign

Tony Devenish: Does the Mayor agree that if a road such as Harwood Terrace in Hammersmith is to deny entry to cars, there should be a clear ‘No Entry’ sign easily visible to drivers, instead of the current sign which cannot be seen from inside a car?

The Mayor: Harwood Terrace is a borough road owned and managed by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF). In the specific instance of Harwood Terrace I am advised that a ‘No Entry’ sign would not be appropriate as it is a restricted access point rather than a road closure. LBHF has confirmed that local residents who hold a borough parking permit and residents whose vehicle is registered to their home address in the borough will automatically be granted a virtual borough access permit.
As noted in my answer to you in MQT 2020/3743, I am supportive of the objectives of LBH&F’s SW6 Traffic Reduction Plan to reduce through traffic on minor residential streets, and will work with them should they wish to make adjustments to their scheme, and retain the benefits for walking and cycling that were initially set out.

Support for Businesses to Use Outdoor Spaces (2)

Leonie Cooper: Has the TfL Streetspace programme been able to assist any businesses, as it has made pavements wider and safer, not only for walking but also for use by cafes, restaurants, etc?

The Mayor: As part of my London Streetspace programme Transport for London has reallocated over 22,000 square metres of new footway space at town centres, schools and transport hubs to support social distancing. This has also enabled extra space outside restaurants, cafes and pubs around including locations such as Bishopsgate, Camden High Street and Battersea.
Streetspace funding has been also been allocated to London boroughs to implement similar measures across local high streets and throughout the Capital.

Cleaner vehicle discount (1)

Alison Moore: What plans, if any, do you have to extend the Cleaner vehicle discount past the current 2025 end date? Specifically, for PHVs and couriers.

The Mayor: There are currently no plans to make any changes to the Cleaner Vehicle Discount (CVD) to the Congestion Charge. From 25 October 2021, only pure electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be eligible for the CVD. From 25 December 2025, the CVD will end for all vehicle types. However, as set out in my Transport Strategy, the scheme will be kept under review.

Source of Victim-Blaming Statements reflected in TfL’s Bus Safety Data Release

Keith Prince: Referring to your response to Question 2020/3655, what is the source of the Victim-Blaming Statements reflected in TfL’s Bus Safety Data Release and which TfL Executive approved the publication of this information every quarter?

The Mayor: The release of the Bus Safety Data reflects Transport for London’s (TfL) commitment to transparency. TfL is aware that the formal statistical release of road safety data after approval from the Department of Transport can take many months, as can formal police or coroners’ investigations. In releasing the Bus Safety Data, TfL’s intention is to find a balance between public and stakeholder interest in timely information and the longer investigation and data validation processes that are required for the formal release.
The details included in the ’Fatalities’ worksheet is compiled from a range of available sources. The most common and reliable source of information is from CCTV which, along with information from logs and witness statements, all form part of the ‘Notification and Investigation of Major Incidents’ (NIMI) process carried out by bus companies and reviewed by TfL following an incident. Any statement made is based on this evidence.
Release of this information is in line with TfL’s wider transparency and open data policy (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/). It is reviewed by senior managers in TfL’s Safety, Health & Environment team, with final approval by a senior manager in its Bus Operations directorate.

Scrappage Schemes and Air quality

Leonie Cooper: In total how many older more polluting vehicles have been scrapped using one of your scrappage schemes? What impact is this estimated to have on air quality?

The Mayor: To date the scrappage scheme for vans and minibuses has supported the scrapping of 2,814 vans and minibuses. The extension of the scheme to heavy vehicles has supported the scrapping of 14 of these vehicles, and the retrofitting of a further two heavy vehicles. Transport for London continues to work through further applications.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone car and motorcycle scrappage scheme has supported the scrapping of 2,912 cars and motorcycles to date, and more funding is still available.
The emissions impact of the scrappage schemeswill depend on what kind of vehicle is being scrapped and how successful applicants choose to spend their payments(only some of the schemesrequire a replacement vehicle to be purchased).Therefore, it is not possible to quantify the direct emissions impact of theseschemesat this stage.We continue, however, to see improvement in compliance with ULEZ standards from all vehicles.
In addition, the £42m taxi delicensing scheme has also paid out more than £32m to owners of 3,794 Euro 3,4 and 5 taxis to remove the oldest, most polluting vehicles from the roads.

ULEZ Compliance (2)

Leonie Cooper: According to recent data 21% of vehicles are not meeting ULEZ standards when driving in the central zone. What work is your office currently undertaking to increase compliance within the zone?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) currently has a comprehensive public information campaign to raise awareness of, and prepare drivers for, the expansion to the Ultra Low Emission Zone from 25 October 2021. This features extensive information about the scheme including where it will operate and the hours of operation, which also reminds drivers that the central London ULEZ is in operation. This is complemented by an email programme targeting owners of non-compliant vehicles. A similar public information campaign targeted at heavy vehicle owners is in place to raise awareness of the toughening of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards from 1 March 2021. TfL continues to regularly engage with key stakeholders including local authorities and representative trade bodies about the ULEZ and LEZ in order to increase awareness and preparedness for the schemes.
In addition, my vehicle scrappage schemes have helped thousands of drivers in London scrap their older, more polluting vehicles in order to meet required emissions standards. Funding remains available to low-income and disabled owners of non-compliant cars and motorcycles and charities that own minibuses.

Bishopsgate Road Closure

David Kurten: Given that taxis cannot now travel along the whole length of Bishopsgate, what is the alternative route from Guy’s Hospital to Liverpool Street Station which taxis must take, and what is the taxi meter cost and journey time for the proposed route?

The Mayor: There are usually a number of routes that taxis could take between any two destinations. This could vary, for example, by the time of day or planned works on the road network. As such, the route below may not be the only route that a taxi driver could take.
From the north of Guy’s Hospital, a driver might proceed north across London Bridge, turning right into Eastcheap and then approaching Liverpool Street station via Aldgate and Camomile Street.
I cannot definitively say what the cost or journey time for the above route would be, as taxi fares and journey times will vary depending upon the time, and day, when a journey is made. Different taxi tariffs rates also apply at different times of the day and on different days of the week. Fares are based upon the distance travelled and time taken, so if a longer route is taken or there are delays, then the fare will be higher. Transport for London publishes some example fares for the different tariffs rates and distances at tfl.gov.uk/taxifares.

Messaging and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (3)

Leonie Cooper: Do you think the messaging from local authorities about the purpose of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods has been fully understood by Londoners? How should councils adapt this going forwards?

The Mayor: Generally speaking, we have seen a good response from boroughs in communicating the key messages surrounding Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) to their residents, particularly given the urgency with which these schemes were requested to be delivered by the Department for Transport and Transport for London (TfL).
Boroughs have, through London Councils and the London Technical Advisor Group (LoTAG) and with TfL support, held best practice sessions discussing design and communications. It is clear that the rapid nature of delivery under government guidance has led to some challenges but both boroughs and TfL continue to meet key stakeholders to work through problems as they arise.
As explained in my answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/3872, TfL is coordinating a monitoring and survey programme to examine LTN schemes, and will work with its borough delivery partners to implement any lessons learned as the London Streetspace Programme progresses. TfL is also working with the boroughs to support them in communicating the purpose and intended benefits of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

ULEZ Compliance (1)

Leonie Cooper: According to recent data 21% of vehicles are not meeting ULEZ standards when driving in the central zone. What analysis is there of non-compliant vehicles by group?

The Mayor: In addition to overall ULEZ compliance, Transport for London (TfL) also analyses compliance by vehicle types. This includes cars, vans, HGVs, TfL buses, non-TfL buses/coaches and taxis. This analysis was reported in my ten month ULEZ monitoring report, which can be viewed here:

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (1)

Andrew Boff: Can the Mayor confirm whether or not Police response times have been impacted by the two Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Enfield?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has not received any reports relating to delayed police response times resulting from these schemes. Both TfL and the London Borough of Enfield are monitoring the schemes’ impacts and benefits. TfL has also been working closely with all emergency services to ensure that they are aware of all of the Streetspace interventions and are able to quickly feed back any concerns.